PYONGYANG — China hopes that the dialogue between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United States will be smooth and achieve substantial progress, said visiting State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on May 2.

During the talks with DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, Wang said that China fully backs the DPRK’s efforts to achieve the goal of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

He also said that China welcomes the successful summit meeting between the leaders of the DPRK and the Republic of South Korea held on April 27 and its important outcomes.

Wang recalled that DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un made a successful visit to China in March.

President Xi Jinping and Kim had a historic meeting during the visit. They achieved significant consensus on continuing and developing China-DPRK traditional friendly relations, as well as enhancing strategic communication and cooperation between the two countries, thus starting a new chapter of bilateral relations, Wang said.

This will guide the two countries to consolidate and further develop bilateral relations in the new era, he said.

Wang said that the traditional China-DPRK friendship is the shared and precious treasure of the two countries, adding that to continuously develop and pass on this friendship to future generations is a strategic choice of both countries.

He said that China is ready to work with the DPRK to implement in substantial ways the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two countries, by strengthening communication and coordination between their political and diplomatic organs, pushing forward pragmatic economic and trade cooperation, cultivating people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and instilling new vigor into China-DPRK relations in the new era.

While speaking highly of the positive changes that have been taking place on the Korean Peninsula, Wang said that China fully backs the DPRK in its efforts to find its own development approach suitable to its national conditions, and to concentrate all of its efforts on carrying out economic construction.

China also backs the settlement of the DPRK’s security concerns, and gives its full support for the improvement of inter-Korean relations, he said.

Wang added that China is willing to strengthen communication with the DPRK and continue to play a positive role in seeking a political solution to the Korean Peninsula issue.

He also expressed gratitude to Kim, the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the DPRK government for the great attention paid to the Chinese citizens involved in a recent major traffic accident in the country, and for providing the victims with intensive treatment and relief.

Ri Yong Ho said that supreme leader Kim Jong Un cherishes traditional friendship between the DPRK and China, and it is a resolute stand of the WPK and the DPRK government to maintain and develop DPRK-China friendly relations from a new starting point.

The foreign minister said that the successful Beijing meeting between DPRK and Chinese top leaders has resulted in important consensus on strengthening strategic communications and cooperation, which is a milestone in the history of DPRK-China relations.

He said the DPRK is ready to make joint efforts with China to carefully implement these consensus, carry out close exchanges between their respective political and diplomatic organs, enhance pragmatic cooperation, push forward people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and make early preparations for commemorative activities celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and China next year.

Ri said that the recent historic meeting between the leaders of the north and south sides of the Korean Peninsula is of great significance.

The DPRK will maintain close communications with China on how to realize denuclearization and establish peace mechanisms on the Korean Peninsula, while enhancing dialogue with all parties concerned, he added.